The Good Guys Wear Black
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: After one of Kendall's experiments goes awry, she, Chase, and Koda must figure out how to handle a troublesome alter ego with a mind of his own.
1. Seeing Double

**A/N:**  
 **What better way to celebrate the end of a Power Rangers hiatus than with my favorite trio of characters this season? This story is loosely connected to the continuity of my other Dino Charge stories.**

 **That said, I don't own Power Rangers, its characters, or any of its related intellectual property. I'm just a humble fan doing his best to salute the show.**

* * *

It was an early Saturday morning as Chase Randall strolled into the cave which served as the home base of the Dino Charge Rangers. Turning off his ipod, he removed his earbuds and gave a cheerful grin while carrying a thin white box under his arm. Upon entering the central cave, he found it nearly empty except for his burly friend Koda who sat near Kendall's work station. The shaggy caveman was intently studying the insides of a thick engineering book and looked to be in serious thought.

"Morning Koda! What are you up to?" Chase asked curiously as he approached the table.

"Trying to learn from book," Koda replied greeting his friend with an earnest smile, "I see Kendall do this to learn things, so maybe I learn too."

Chase gave a gentle smile and turned the engineering manual right-side up, "Mate, we still need to teach you how to read first."

Koda gave an embarrassed shrug but the Black Ranger waved it off and held up the box he was carrying, "Anyway, don't feel too bad. I actually came by to give you a little present today."

The caveman took the box and gave a surprised look, "You give me gift? But I have no birthday."

"No worries mate," Chase laughed reassuringly as he gave Koda a clap on the shoulder, "This isn't a birthday gift. Today marks the second year since I met you and Kendall, so I figured I'd give you a little present as a token of our friendship. Open it."

Koda opened the box and slowly held up its contents. It was a large stylish black dress shirt.

"Well, what do you think?" Chase asked hopefully.

Koda gave a perplexed frown, "It nice shirt, but I not understand. You wear black."

"True," Chase replied, "But I figured you need at least one good dress shirt if you ever want to go out for a night on the town. You'll look sharp, and it'll make a good first impression on the ladies."

With a wink, he added "Trust me mate, the good guys wear black."

Koda thought it over for a moment before giving a grin and nodding, "Thank you Chase. It is good gift then."

As Koda put the shirt back in the box, Riley entered the cave with an excited smile, "Hey! I've been looking all over for you two. Didn't you guys get the message?"

Chase and Koda exchanged confused glances and shook their heads.

"Miss Morgan wants us all to meet in the park nearby," Riley explained, "She said she had something interesting to show us. Hurry up!"

The Black and Blue Rangers gave another shrug before following Riley out of the cave and into an entrance to the museum parking lot out back.

* * *

The three Rangers made their way back around and headed toward the large wooded park just across the street from the museum. After a short walk down a shady path lined with colorful flowers, they came to a wooded clearing where Kendall, Tyler, and Shelby all gathered around a strange looking device. The machine looked to be a silver box with a plug mounted upon a tripod. At the corners of the machine, large solar panels flared out from the side.

"Looks pretty cool," Tyler commented to Shelby, "What do you think it is?"

Chase crossed his arms and replied with a small chuckle, "Looks like a solar powered toaster oven to me."

As she finished making some last minute adjustments, Kendall looked up and gave him a mild frown, "Actually, this device may be my biggest breakthrough in developing your Ranger arsenal. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you all to the Dino Super Charger- Mark 1."

"Dino... Super Charger?" Shelby asked with a hint of confusion and skepticism.

Kendall nodded proudly, "With Keeper's help, I've been working on a way to increase the power output of your Energems... to super charge them, if you will."

"Wow! That sounds totally awesome Miss Morgan!" Tyler cheered in excitement. "How does it work?"

"Well," Kendall began thoughtfully as she adjusted her glasses, "I've modified this device to harness electromagnetic energy and have it react with the natural powers that come from your Energems. Today, there's supposed to be a solar flare going on and a lot of radiation is already in the atmosphere. That's why I was hoping to test this machine out with all of you here today."

"Wait, you not even sure it will work?" Koda asked with a hesitant frown.

Kendall bit her lip, "Well... not entirely. In theory it should work, but I'm going to need one of you to volunteer your Energem."

The five Rangers exchanged confused and hesitant looks for a moment before Riley scratched his head, "I don't know about this Miss Morgan. It's not going to turn into some kind of nuclear reaction, will it?"

"Yeah sorry," Shelby chimed in, "I'm with Riley on this one. I'm not too keen on getting vaporized today."

Finally, Chase stepped forward with a sigh, "Relax everyone. I'll trust Kendall. If this thing actually works, then I'll be the coolest Power Ranger in Amber Beach."

Turning to give Kendall a friendly wink, he added, "Besides, if we're doing this in the name of mad science, we have to at least try, right?"

The others exchanged an uncertain look as Kendall raised her eyebrow at him and sighed, "Thanks Chase... I think. May I have your Energem please?"

After taking the Black Energem, Kendall plugged the stone into the Super Charger and flipped a few switches. The Rangers stood back and watched curiously as the solar panels shifted and the machine lit up slowly. A few moments passed and Chase's Black Energem began to glow with power, steadily giving off a pulsing radiant glow. As the six continued to watch, the Energem grew even brighter and electricity began surging from the solar panels while sparks erupted violently from the sides of the machine.

"Not good Miss Morgan! You've gotta shut that thing off!" Shelby shouted in panic while grabbing Tyler's sleeve.

"I... I can't!" Kendall called in alarm as she looked down to her remote control tablet and furiously entered desperate commands. "The Super Charger isn't responding!"

Seeing the situation deteriorate, Chase rushed in and pushed Kendall out of the way of some surging electricity before manually flipping some of the switches back. As the Super Charger gave off more angry clouds of sparks and smoke, Chase grabbed his glowing Energem from the plug. In an instant, the Black Ranger was thrown backward in a brilliant flash of light and the others raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding blast.

As the light and smoke faded, Chase slowly sat up from the ground and was met by the astonished faces of his friends, "What? What is everyone staring at?"

"Arrgh! Bloody hell!" came a startlingly similar voice nearby. Chase turned in surprise to see himself, or rather an exact look alike lying in the grass next to him.

Unlike the Black Ranger though, the young man wore a white and gray shirt of similar design. The look alike held his head and groaned, "What is going on? Who are you?"

Jumping to his feet, Chase's eyes went wide in astonishment, "Who am I? I'm me! Who the bloody hell are you?"

As the two young men gawked at each other, Tyler, Shelby, and Riley all stood in silence with looks of horrified shock.

"Fascinating..." Kendall murmured in awe while Koda frowned in confusion next to her.

To the Rangers' surprise, the young man in white leapt to his feet and quickly pulled out his dino revolver pointing it at the other Rangers. In a flash, Chase reacted and grabbed his double's weapon arm, twisting the gun out of his opponent's grasp and initiating a grapple. As the two of them began scuffling, Koda growled and pounced on the young man in white pinning him to the grass in a headlock.

"Koda! Get off me you big idiot!" the look alike growled trying in vain to break free.

The Blue Ranger growled and tightened his grip, "The real Chase not call Koda idiot."

"Thanks mate," Chase sighed in relief putting a hand on Koda's shoulder, "And you're right. I'd never pull my gun on any of you guys either... well, maybe except for Shelby."

"Hey!" the Pink Ranger frowned as she stuck out her tongue at Chase.

The Black Ranger turned to the man in white while narrowing his eyes, "As for you, I want to know where you came from and why you're wearing my face."

From the ground, the young man in white growled and made one more attempt to get free before letting out an exhausted sigh and nodding his head.

* * *

After the chaos finally died down, the seven young people sat at some nearby park benches while Kendall and Riley examined the ruins of the Super Charger.

"I've already told you. My name is Chase Randall," the man in white stated holding up a black Energem, "I am the Dino Charge Black Ranger."

"Says the guy wearing white," Chase muttered suspiciously while holding out his own black Energem. "Let's make things clear. I'm the real Chase here. For now... let's just call you Randall."

"Wow, and I thought having one Chase was bad enough," Shelby muttered quietly as the Black Ranger rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, but this is just too freaky."

Shelby continued to closely examine the look alike's face, "Isn't it uncanny how they look and sound the same?"

Randall gave a smug smile and winked back, "Take a picture luv. It lasts longer."

Shelby recoiled in disgust as Tyler frowned defensively, "You claim to be a Power Ranger. You sure don't act like one."

Randall met the Red Ranger's glare, "Why? Because I'm not full of smiles and laughter like you? Hell, I'm sure something must be wrong because I can't be in the right place either."

"What are you even talking about?" Chase demanded narrowing his eyes on his doppelganger.

Randall looked out and gestured to the buildings of Amber Beach that could be seen from above the trees of the park. "Well, for one thing... half these buildings are gone and there isn't much of a park left here. It was Sledge who destroyed them."

The other Rangers looked about in confusion as Randall continued, "The rest of you don't look the same either. Shelby, your hair is much too long and Koda, you don't have that nasty scar across your face."

"Wait, are you saying that wherever you're from... that Sledge won?" Tyler asked.

Randall shook his head, "No. Not exactly... but let's just say things aren't as cheery or bright as this place is."

"I'm wondering if the Super Charger had anything to do with it," Riley chimed in walking over to the bench, "Because this is starting to sound like some bad Star Trek episode."

"You might be right," Kendall added joining the others and turning to the second Black Ranger, "I'll still need to look over the data logs from the Super Charger, but I have a hunch it might have created some kind of inter-dimensional rift when it malfunctioned.

Randall fixed his eyes on Kendall and did an obvious once over before giving an amused smile, "Well, isn't that lovely."

Chase caught the look and clenched his fist as Kendall cleared her throat, trying to suppress the uncomfortable feeling of Randall's leering gaze, "If you don't mind, I think it might be for the best if you come back with us and let me run some tests on you and Chase. For starters, I want to make sure there aren't going to be any adverse side effects."

"Wait a minute Kendall, you can't be serious," Chase protested giving his double another suspicious frown, "You really think we can trust him?"

"Well, he is a Ranger," Tyler conceded with a grimace, "The Energem proves it."

Straightening his collar, Randall cleared his throat and gave a gracious smile to Kendall, "If it would put your minds at ease, then I'll come and take the tests. Lead the way luv."

Chase growled and muttered a curse under his breath as Kendall reluctantly led the others back toward the museum. To his small comfort, he felt the reassuring hand of his best friend Koda pat him on the back and gesture for them to follow. As the two Rangers followed at the rear, Chase continued to watch the young man with the same face as him. He wasn't quite sure why, but he got a bad feeling from Randall, even if he claimed to be a fellow Power Ranger.

If the doppelganger's attitude toward his friends and the look he had given Kendall had been any indication of his character, Chase wasn't quite sure he was in any position to trust himself either. As he continued to walk toward the museum, he could only hope that the tests back in the command center would put some of those doubts to rest.

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**


	2. Jekyll and Hyde

Later that day, the Rangers sat restlessly in their command center as they waited for the results of the tests that were run on Chase and Randall. While Kendall worked over her laptop in the other room, Riley and Shelby continued to poke around at the scorched circuitry of the Super Charger.

Meanwhile, Randall stood off in the corner, leaning against the cave entrance with his arms crossed in annoyed boredom. Nearby, Tyler and Koda sat with Chase at some seats chatting quietly to try and reassure the Black Ranger everything was going to be fine.

"You're sure you feel ok?" Tyler asked.

"I think so…" Chase muttered, "I mean, aside from the creepy out of body feeling I have looking at him, I don't think I feel any different."

"And it looks like you're correct," Kendall called as she returned to the main floor holding a sheaf of printed papers.

"According to these preliminary test results, you both look like you're in perfect health. What's even more surprising is that you're genetically identical too."

Both Chase and Randall looked toward each other as the young man in white came to sit down nearby, "So what you're saying is that we really are alike in every possible way, yeah?"

"It would seem so," Kendall replied with a perplexed shrug

Nearby, Koda shook his head quickly, "No. Not all same. Chase has different smell… like sandalwood."

"Sharp nose, he must be talking about my aftershave," Chase grinned while rubbing his chin, "Good on you Koda."

"Yes, your personal hygiene is all very fascinating, but what does that mean for me?" Randall interrupted with an impatient grumble, "From what it sounds like, your little device has pulled me out of my reality and dropped me into yours. What do we do about it?"

The other Rangers stared silently at him for a moment before Kendall cleared her throat, "Well, I'll have to run some more tests. But if I was to venture a guess, we'd have to fix the Super Charger and recalibrate it to reverse the energy flow."

"Wait," Tyler asked hesitantly, "Miss Morgan, how sure are you that the Super Charger would work again and not create another Bizarro Chase?"

"Well… I'm not," Kendall frowned defensively, "But we have to try something, and theoretically it should work."

"There she goes using that word again," Shelby sighed throwing up her arms.

Kendall pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, "I'm going to set this right! Now listen, there's another solar event that's predicted to happen a week from now. Until then, I'm going to need help fixing the Super Charger and getting it up and running again."

Riley gave an enthusiastic nod, "You can count on me Miss Morgan! I'll help you out."

"Ok," Tyler mused with a furrowed brow, "That all sounds good, except for one thing. What do we do with Randall in the mean time? It's not like he can just stay here in the command center by himself."

The Rangers fell silent before Shelby spoke up, "Well, he's still a Ranger. We can't just throw him out on the street either. As long as one of us is always with him, we can make sure he doesn't go anywhere he isn't supposed to."

"I wish you guys wouldn't talk about me like I'm not even here," Randall scowled.

Riley ignored him and scratched his chin thoughtfully, "Sounds reasonable Shelby. I guess he could join us during work hours too, as long as he stays in back by the grill."

"Fine," Chase said crossing his arms, "But where is he going to sleep?"

Kendall turned to him, "Well, I suppose for the time being, Randall could stay with you in your apartment."

"Wait! What?" Chase exclaimed in protest, "Are you even sure that's a good idea?"

Randall slapped Chase on the back with a sarcastic laugh, "Aww, come on mate. Being roomies for a week will be fun. After all, who knows you better than me?"

Chase scowled before Randall turned his head toward Kendall and gave a suggestive smile, "Then again, if you're the most responsible person here, maybe I should stay with you instead?"

Kendall tightened her features as a slight shade of pink crept into her cheeks. "I don't think that will be happening."

Randall smirked, "Oh, you say that now luv, but… ack!"

Chase swiftly reached over and grabbed Randall by the collar. In a calm but threatening voice, he said, "Listen here mate, I know you understand English. The lady said no, so drop it already."

"Chase!" Kendall cried indignantly, "There's no need for that! Let him go."

Chase sputtered in surprise, "But I… he just…"

Kendall crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the Black Ranger, "Chase, I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but I'm a big girl. I don't need you to fight my battles for me. Now please… let him go."

Chase glanced over to Randall who graced him with a smug smile. The Black Ranger let go of his doppelganger's collar petulantly. "I'd be more worried about pissing off the caveman if I were you."

Kendall gave Chase another warning look before turning to the other Rangers sitting in astonished silence at the little spectacle. "Now that everything's been settled, I have a lot of work to do. I suggest the rest of you make yourselves busy too."

Chase stayed behind with Koda as they watched Riley and Kendall take the Super Charger back into another room for repairs. After Tyler and Shelby departed to give Randall a tour of the museum's café, Koda gave a troubled frown to his friend.

"I not understand why, but I don't like other you."

"Yeah, neither do I Koda," Chase agreed while giving a sigh, "I think it's best we both keep an eye on him, ok?"

The Blue Ranger nodded sagely and pointed to his friend's heart, "He may look same on outside, but not on inside."

Chase simply gave a touched smile and put his own fist to the caveman's chest in a brotherly gesture, "Thanks Koda."

* * *

Over the next few days, the Rangers took turns escorting Randall around the museum or orienting him during work hours. On the morning of the third day, Chase arrived at work and headed toward a maintenance closet near the rear of the café. He had several light fixtures to replace and then touch up the paint in the museum's East wing... tedious chores that he was already dreading.

Checking his watch, he sighed, "Ok, only 10 minutes late today," he chastised himself, "Not the end of the world."

To his astonishment, he spotted Randall already busy at work preparing food on the grill. His double moved quickly and efficiently, juggling several tasks at once, all while making sure none of the burgers or hot dogs cooked too long on any one side. Behind him, Tyler and Riley stood with impressed smiles watching the whirlwind of activity.

"Morning there roomie. Glad you finally made it," Randall called as he quickly sliced tomatoes with a knife.

Shelby approached from the main floor with a fresh list of orders and turned to the tardy Black Ranger, "You'd better look out Chase. Your twin is making you look bad. This is the 3rd day in a row that Randall has been on time and filling orders quicker than ever."

"Actually, I came in a little early today," Randall corrected her. Glancing up from his work, he gave Chase a grin, "Already took care of those replacement lights for you too mate."

Chase stood in silence, unsure of whether to feel more annoyed or embarrassed before Riley piped up curiously, "Hey Randall, how is it that you're always so quick and on top of things? I mean, we've almost got to put a gun to Chase's head to get things done sometimes."

"Force of habit kiddo," Randall replied turning to the burgers on the grill. "Where I come from, Sledge's monsters are a lot more dangerous and cunning. They had already destroyed half of Amber Beach so we've got to be pretty disciplined and serious to beat them. I guess that just carried over off the battlefield."

"You could have fooled me," Tyler remarked as Randall handed him a fresh set of filled orders, "I'd almost think you've been doing this for a while."

Randall shrugged, "Not much time for fun stuff like this in my world. Now get a move on Red, people are waiting."

Turning to his twin, Randall fixed Chase with a taunting smile, "I've already covered for you once today. Best you get a move on too, eh?"

Chase frowned and grabbed his painting equipment, stalking off into the East wing to start his painting job in solitude.

* * *

After work that day, Randall followed his counterpart as they headed down to the command center. Chase had left some skateboard repair tools there and decided to pick them up before heading home. As they neared the entrance to the central cave, the Black Ranger's cell phone buzzed.

Chase looked down and read the text message before turning to Randall. "It seems Koda's had a little mishap with the pizza oven. I need to go help him clean up so just wait here for a minute and don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Randall rolled his eyes and gave a sarcastic salute in reply. As Chase hurried off to help his friends, Randall idly paced around the cave's entryway in boredom. Just then, he caught sight of a flickering light illuminating off one of the cave walls and he ambled over to investigate.

He followed the light through a passageway until it led him into the central base laboratory. At the far corner of the lab, Kendall stood with her back turned, busily working on repairs to the Super Charger. Every so often, the solar panels would move and reflect some light in response to the adjustments. Seeing that she was all alone, Randall gave a quiet smirk and casually strolled into the lab.

"How go the repairs?" he called out as he neared the table.

Kendall jumped in surprise and turned around holding a screwdriver. "Randall? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Chase right now?"

"Something came up and he said he'd be right back." Randall replied with an innocent smile, "Besides, how much trouble could I possibly get into during that time?"

"Well, that question suggests that you intend to cause trouble in the first place," Kendall answered cautiously.

Randall waved it off with an amused laugh and walked over, observing the progress on the Super Charger. "Well, fortunately for you, I'm not. I'm actually more interested to know how soon this device will be repaired so that I can get out of here."

Kendall grimaced and turned back to her work, "That's still hard to say. If Riley and I can work out some of the bugs later tonight, we might be able to finish on time."

Randall gave a satisfied nod and watched as she continued to work. After a brief pause, he said "You know, you look tired… and tense."

"Well, I haven't slept much these last two days and…" Kendall froze as she felt his hands touch her shoulders from behind and gently begin to massage the base of her neck. She smiled for a moment at the pleasant feeling before suddenly getting a hold of herself. She abruptly stepped away and whirled around with the screwdriver.

"What are you doing?" she demanded slowly.

Randall raised his hands in innocence as he approached, "I'm conducting an experiment."

"What are you talking about?" Kendall replied continuing to level her improvised weapon.

"Let's be honest. I know for a fact that you're not going to skewer me here," Randall sighed as he calmly put his fingertips at the edge of the tool.

Kendall gave a nervous swallow as he gently turned the screwdriver aside and stepped closer, "And how do you know that?"

"Well, if you're anything like the Kendall I know… you need me too much." Randall grinned, "and not just as a Ranger in the field."

"I… what are you even talking about?" Kendall asked backpedaling into a nearby table.

Randall shrugged, "Well, let's just say that where I'm from, you and I have a bit of an interesting relationship… an intimate one, but one of convenience and mutual use I guess you could say."

"That sounds awful," Kendall said continuing to shy away as he advanced.

"Does it?" Randall challenged, "If anything, at least we're honest with each other. Tell me, aren't you the slightest bit attracted to me… or curious? If I know anything about my twin here, and I think I do, then I'm certain he must wonder the same things from time to time too."

Kendall's cheeks flushed and she trembled slightly. Whether it was from fear, anger, or attraction, she couldn't be quite sure anymore.

"No," she said feebly shaking her head as he drew very close, "The Chase I know isn't like that… and I'm not the same Kendall you know either."

Randall's lips curled into a sardonic smile as he reached out and gently tilted her chin up towards him, "You're a woman of science. Would you like to test that theory then Miss Morgan?"

As Randall leaned in closer to kiss her, he froze as he heard an angry shout, "Hey! Hold it right there!"

From the entryway of the command center, Chase stormed in with a furious look on his face, "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? Get away from her!"

Kendall quickly turned away and took several deep breaths while Randall slowly stepped backward.

In a heartbeat, Chase was at her side with a sudden look of concern, "Kendall, are you ok? Did he hurt you? I swear, if he did something…"

"It's ok Chase. Nothing happened here… I'm fine," she said softly. She kept her face turned away from him as her cheeks continued to burn bright red in embarrassment.

Chase gave her one last protective glance before whirling around on Randall, "I don't know what you're playing at, but I want you to leave my friends out of it."

"Relax mate," Randall said mocking Chase with this own disarming smile, "It was all for laughs. No harm done, right?"

At that moment, the Ranger alarm went off and the three looked up, grateful for an interruption. Turning to Randall, Chase grabbed his double's arm, "We're not through here, but right now you're coming with me."

Randall stopped and stared, "You mean to the battlefield?"

"You said you're a Power Ranger, didn't you?" Chase challenged him, "Why don't you come along and prove it."

He turned to give Kendall one more concerned look, and she nodded quickly, "I'll be ok here Chase. Go on. The Rangers need you."

Randall growled and hurried after Chase as the two Black Rangers rushed out of the cave to join the others in battle against the newest monster attacking the city.

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**


	3. Reflections

"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?" Tyler cried in outrage as the latest monster to attack Amber Beach made a hasty retreat. Randall stood atop a pile of broken and mangled Vivix on the ground as the other Rangers hurried to catch up. On his arm, the second Black Ranger had tied a white bandana to identify himself from his counterpart

"We're supposed to work as a team! Why didn't you wait for the rest of us?" Tyler angrily demanded. Randall simply tilted his head and regarded him coolly.

"Why waste time with all the pre-battle posturing and shouting? It's not like these monsters really care who we are."

Tyler fell silent for a moment conceding the point as Randall gave one of the motionless Vivix a small kick in the side, "Funny, I was hoping these guys would have put up more of a fight. I hardly broke a sweat."

He was right, Chase thought to himself with a shiver as he stood nearby and holstered his revolver. Without waiting, Randall had charged in and engaged the monsters in direct hand to hand combat. What the Rangers saw next both horrified and amazed them. The second Black Ranger had moved like a whirlwind and mowed down the enemies unarmed with efficient primal brutality. Even more so, he did it single handedly.

Even after the monster had fled, Randall seemed completely calm and appeared to relish the opportunity to release some pent up aggression. At the moment, he almost looked like some kind of predatory animal savoring its kill.

"Well, it looks a win-win today," Randall grinned as he powered down and began walking back toward home. "I saved you all some time and I got a good workout in. What do you say we all grab some dinner now? I'm starved."

Tyler stood dumbfounded for a moment before gesturing for the others to follow. Noticing Chase still staring at the carnage in front of him, Riley gave him a light punch in the arm, "Huh. I didn't think you had that in you."

Chase took one more look at all the downed Vivix before turning to follow Riley home, "Yeah… neither did I."

* * *

Later that evening, Chase returned to the command center. While he had been a little disturbed by Randall's vicious behavior on the battlefield, he couldn't help but feel more concerned about Kendall's run in with the doppelganger that afternoon. Like Koda, she was one of his closest friends and the possibility that Randall (or some part of himself by extension) had hurt her, made Chase feel a little sick inside.

As he entered the dimly lit lab, he found Kendall and Riley finishing up their work for the night. The Super Charger sat at a nearby table looking almost fully restored.

"Well, I'm beat. I'm going to call it a night Miss Morgan," Riley yawned as he caught sight of the Black Ranger.

"Thanks for all the help today Riley," she nodded removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Chase, what are you doing here at this hour?" Riley asked in surprise. Nearby, Kendall cringed but remained hunched over her laptop in silence.

"Oh… I uh, just forgot some of my tools," Chase answered picking up one of his skateboard wrenches. After all, it was still a half-truth, "Don't mind me kiddo. I'll be headed out soon too."

Apparently too sleepy to argue, Riley shrugged and made his way out of the cave leaving Chase alone with Kendall who still pretended to type computer codes on her laptop. After a long pause, he sat down at the far edge of the lab, "Umm, about earlier. I just wanted to come by and make sure you were ok."

Kendall slowly turned and looked at him with a strange unreadable expression.

"Oh… and I'm sorry if I stepped in again," Chase added quickly, unsure if she was upset with him. "I mean… I couldn't help it. I got worried, and I feel like if Randall had upset or hurt you, then in some weird way, so did I. So, I hope you're not mad at me."

Kendall glanced away silently for a moment as if she was absorbed in some kind of internal debate before Chase prompted her, "Come on Kendall, say something... please?"

Kendall studied him silently for another long moment before nodding and turning away to gather her things in her purse. "Thank you Chase. I'm glad you came to check up on me, but like I said, I'll be fine."

The Black Ranger frowned, "Listen, about what I saw…"

"I already told you, nothing happened!" Kendall cut him off forcefully, "I'm embarrassed enough already so can we please just drop it?"

Chase winced and turned the wrench around his hand, giving a slightly hurt look, "But... you shouldn't have to feel embarrassed about anything."

"Oh… no, I didn't mean it like that," Kendall sighed putting her purse back down, "Listen, Randall told me that where he's from, it seems that you... and I... well, apparently we're a thing... but in a kind of selfish and depraved sort of way."

Chase looked up as Kendall trailed off into an awkward silence.

"Oh…" he said in surprise as he fumbled for a way to sound reassuring, "Well, even if that were to happen... hypothetically... then trust me, it wouldn't be like that. Besides, that kind of thing isn't something you should even have to worry about here. For starters, we both have too many things to deal with."

"Exactly, like saving the world," Kendall answered quickly in an attempt to sound rational, "We've all got to stay focused on that. Oh, and what about our friendship?"

"Absolutely. Way too important to jeopardize," Chase nodded just as quickly in agreement, "Probably for the best that we just keep things friendly and professional as always, right?"

"Right. I wouldn't have it any other way."

The two friends continued to look at each other as they trailed away into another awkward silence.

"Ok... well... glad we got that sorted out then," Chase finished. Hoping to diffuse any further awkwardness with his friend, he took a few steps forward and reached his hand out, but she tensed up again, almost in an automatic response to what had happened earlier.

With a sigh, Chase slowly walked over and placed his hand over hers. Giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze, he gave another nod before he quietly left and headed back home for the evening, not sure whether he should be feeling more relieved or confused.

* * *

The next day, Shelby and Koda sat with Randall as they took their afternoon lunch break. As they ate their lunch on some of the wooden benches outside the museum, Randall continued to gaze in wonder at the green trees and warm gentle sunlight of the park across the street. Children laughed and citizens of Amber Beach passed by without a care in the world. It was all so peaceful and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt such at ease. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he saw Shelby's hand wave across his face.

"Hey, you still with us?" Shelby asked.

Randall turned to look at her as she laughed nervously, "Chase tends to zone out every once in a while too. I guess you really aren't that different, huh?"

Randall gave the two Rangers a patient smile, "You had asked a question?"

Koda nodded, "Kendall say that Super Charger is almost fixed. You are ready to go home?"

Randall stopped and paused a moment. He supposed that part of him was anxious to return to his familiar world, but after several days in this place, he began to have his doubts. Compared to his home, everything here seemed so much quieter and easier. He wasn't constantly on edge worrying about a new monster attack, or when one of his fellow Rangers would sell him out to survive for another day. It was warm, bright, and safe. He was starting to like this place.

"You mentioned before that the park was gone," Shelby prompted, "and you seemed a little fixated on it just now."

"It's just strange I guess," Randall said taking another bite of his sandwich. "I look at the parkways out there and I can't help but want to skateboard down them. Hell, I can't even remember the last time I did skate."

"You not have fun in other home?" Koda asked curiously munching on a piece of fruit.

Randall shrugged, "Depends on what you call fun. When we're not scraping for supplies, I guess you have to find your own form of amusement, whether that's in training, fighting, or screwing.

"Sorry I asked," Shelby muttered in horror, "That sounds terrible."

"Oh, it's not all bad," Randall sighed tearing off the crust of his sandwich and tossing some to the pigeons nearby, "In a way, it makes you tough and keeps you sharp. If you want a perfect example, take Tyler."

Shelby and Koda exchanged a curious look as Randall continued with a grin, "The Tyler I know is completely different than yours and the guy is a bloody brilliant leader. You thought I was vicious on the battlefield? That guy is so cold blooded and violent it terrifies even me."

Shelby swallowed hard and shook her head, "Uh, about that Randall… I'm actually curious about something. In your world, Tyler and I aren't uh… you know…"

Randall turned to Shelby with a surprised look, "What? Like together? Romantically? Ha!"

Shelby winced again as Randall laughed aloud and gave an amused snort, "The thought never even crossed my mind. It probably never crossed his either."

The Pink Ranger stared at him for a moment before rising with a troubled look. "I… lunch is almost over. I should probably get going and punch back in."

With that, Shelby hurried away from the bench as Randall watched her leave with an impassive expression.

Koda frowned disapprovingly toward Randall and cleared his throat, trying to remain civil, "When you go home, remember this place. Still many good things to fight for here."

Randall eyed the caveman before turning back toward the pristine wooded park. "Yeah mate," he said thoughtfully while the gears in his mind began to turn. As he did, a small smile crept into the corners of his lips, "I suppose you're right about that."

* * *

Later that evening, Chase and his twin returned back to his apartment after work. It had been a long day and while Chase hadn't brought up what happened a few days ago, he was too tired to fight with "himself." For now, Randall had seemed to be behaving and wasn't causing any major problems.

It was only for one more day Chase reminded himself as he placed his keys on the cluttered counter top. The sooner Randall was gone, the sooner he could get back his normal routine and stop worrying. Right now, he just wanted to microwave some dinner, turn on a stupid movie, and take a well deserved nap.

"You aren't hungry, are you?" the Black Ranger called to his double as he flicked the lights on in the kitchen and headed toward the refrigerator.

Randall ambled around the counter and stood near the edge of the kitchen with a noncommittal look, "Sure. I guess I could go for a little freezer pizza. I remember seeing we still had a pepperoni one just the other day."

Chase turned around and opened the freezer to take a look around. "Hmm, that's strange. I don't see a pizza in here. Are you sure about that?"

Randall reached behind his back and approached slowly with a smile, "Positive. It must be buried way back there. Just keep looking."

Chase continued to dig around the freezer for a minute longer before turning around, "I don't know what you're..."

His sentence was cut short as he saw the butt of a yellow and black dino revolver crash down on his forehead. A white explosion of pain blurred the image of a grinning Randall as Chase dropped to the cold kitchen floor and his consciousness faded into blackness.

* * *

 **To Be Continued...**


	4. A Tale of Two Kiwis

Chase's head swam as he slowly regained consciousness. Cracking his eyes open, he could still feel a dull throbbing ache from where he had been struck in the head. It was likely to have left a nasty bruise, but he was sure his bond to the Black Energem would heal it within a day or two.

He groaned in pain for a moment trying to recall what had even happened. He vaguely remembered looking in the refrigerator before being clocked over the head by Randall. That was stupid, Chase scolded himself. He never should have turned his back on that rat bastard.

"Well, good morning Sleeping Beauty," Randall's mocking voice said in amusement as Chase opened his eyes to find himself in his bedroom. The doppelganger sat facing him at the foot of Chase's bed with his arms crossed wearing a big grin. Even more troubling, Randall had changed and was wearing one of Chase's long sleeve dark gray shirts.

"What the…" Chase exclaimed. He tried to leap forward and attack, but found that he couldn't. His own arms and legs were completely bound to a chair with tight corded rope. Chase's eyes went even wider when he realized he was now wearing Randall's white collared shirt.

"You like the new look?" Randall chuckled as he faced the helpless Black Ranger in the chair, "I thought you should change up your wardrobe a little bit. The white really brings out the color of your eyes."

"What's going on?" Chase demanded angrily trying to suppress the throbbing headache he still had, "Why are you doing this?"

Randall rose from the bed and circled his hostage with a predatory smile, "Oh… I guess you could say I had a little change of heart."

"I don't understand. What are you talking about?"

"You know, I was in a rush to leave and get back to my home," Randall began as he toyed with some of the items on Chase's desk, "But then it struck me. You live in a really nice place. You don't have to sweat and bleed and struggle just to survive every day. Compared to the monsters we fight, the ones here are no challenge at all. Everything in this world is so safe and easy."

"So you want to switch places with me then," Chase frowned, "You want to send me back to your crap hole universe and steal my life. Is that it?"

Randall smiled and snapped his fingers "Right you are mate. See? I knew I really was a clever devil. But don't worry. I'm doing this for your own good."

"What?" Chase asked in sudden horror as he tried to struggle against the cords.

"Think about it," Randall sighed continuing to pick through Chase's belongings. "You have it so easy here and yet you could be so much more. You come in late to work and screw around every day. You waste time flirting with all these other brainless girls and have no relationships to show for it. You don't train yourself for battle as much as you should, and you don't assert the leadership potential that I know you have. You're squandering so much opportunity, and it's really pitiful."

He stopped as he came across a small framed photo on Chase's desk and picked it up. It had been taken a year ago during a fun day off at the beach. In it were the smiling happy faces of Chase, Kendall, and Koda. The three of them were all together with their arms over each other like a little family picture.

"You owe it to yourself… and to them," Randall said observing the picture almost wistfully. "I'm going to take what I deserve and you're going to learn what you need to in order to survive."

Chase shivered at the truth in his twin's words and the very dire threat that went with it. He couldn't let that happen. "You'll never get away with this you bastard. My friends will stop you."

Randall put the picture face down on the desk and roughly placed a gag on Chase's mouth. "Not if they think you're the villain who's going to make some trouble today. Then I'm sure they'll understand why I had to restrain that troublesome Randall guy."

Giving another grin, Randall tipped the chair over leaving Chase bound, gagged, and helpless in an awkward position on the floor.

"Now don't go anywhere. I'll be right back," Randall laughed mocking Chase's original words from a few days ago. With that, the fake Black Ranger began to whistle as he left the room and casually headed out the apartment door.

* * *

A little while later, Randall strolled into the museum lobby and took a look around. If this place was anything like his original universe, then the electric fuse boxes to the building would be in the same location. As he made his way toward the museum's east wing, he was surprised when Koda and Kendall rounded the corner and greeted him.

"Chase, this is a pleasant surprise," Kendall remarked glancing at her watch with a small smile, "You're early today."

Randall stopped a moment and made a mental note to be more careful, "Yeah… I guess I am. I uh… just thought I'd start in a little early today because…"

"Because we have plans!" Koda grinned in delight. "Today Friday. You ready?"

"Ready for what?" Randall asked, mentally kicking himself again for answering too soon.

The caveman frowned a moment, "Same as always. You and me go to bowling alley, eat pizza, and…"

"Yes, that's right!" Randall cut him off trying to improvise, "Of course. We hang out and have our guy time, right?"

"Was going to say watch new movie…" Koda answered giving him a confused look. "You feel sick today?"

Kendall smiled and gave Randall a light pat on the arm as she passed by, "Well, if that means he's here on time and doing a good job, then he can be sick every day."

Randall watched her leave and gave a nervous swallow as he turned back to Koda. The caveman regarded him with a curious expression before sniffing the air a moment. Giving a shrug, Koda continued to lumber down the hallway after Kendall and called back to him, "Ok Chase, see you later."

Randall forced a smile and gave a wave, before muttering under his breath. "You can count on it you big dolt."

Hurrying down the hallway, Randall finally made it to the room where the museum's central fuse boxes were located. He paused as he pushed on the handle of the door and found it to be locked. Giving an irritated grumble, Randall pulled out a small thin pocket knife and began to fiddle with the lock on the door. After a minute or two of jiggling the knife around, he finally felt the lock give way. Before he could open it though, he heard a loud shuffling coming down the hallway.

Randall looked up in surprised dismay to see Tyler dragging several large bags of what looked to be supplies and tools. Putting the bags down to rest a moment, the Red Ranger greeted him with his usual cheerful smile, "Hey! Good morning Chase, have you got a moment? I could really use your help."

Randall tucked the pocket knife away and masked his annoyance with a genial smile, "Sure mate. What can I do for you?"

Tyler hefted one of the bags again and gestured toward the lobby, "Miss Morgan asked me to fetch all these bags of tools and supplies for an upcoming dig. Think you could help me carry them out to the rear loading bay?"

Suppressing the urge to do violence to Tyler, Randall picked up the other bag and gave a friendly smile, "Sure thing. Lead the way."

As he began to walk, Tyler stopped a moment, "Oh, I thought you came here with Randall this morning. Where is he?"

Randall took a deep breath and waved it off, "Oh, I passed him off to Shelby in the café. I had to take care of something else over here first."

Seeming to be satisfied with the answer, Tyler gave a shrug and led them on a short walk through the museum. After reaching the rear loading dock, Tyler lifted his bag into the truck and began securing it to the back. While he did, Randall spotted a small shovel nearby sticking out of a bag and went to retrieve it. As Tyler continued to work, Randall slowly approached, preparing to pull the same tactic he had used on his twin when Tyler's dino com sounded.

Randall put the small shovel down and growled at the newest interruption while Tyler answered his communicator.

"Tyler, one of Sledge's monsters just appeared. It was the same one from a few days ago," Kendall's voice said.

"Got it Miss Morgan," Tyler nodded with a serious expression, "Chase and I will gather the others and head out now."

Randall clenched his fist and cursed silently as Tyler gave him a nod, "All right, you heard her Chase. Let's get a move on."

* * *

Back at the apartment, Chase lay on the floor of the bedroom struggling against the cords that bound him to his chair. It had been almost two hours since Randall had left and Chase had made little progress moving toward the door.

With another growl, he managed to spit out the gag around his mouth and inch closer toward the living room floor. He just had to get free and call for help. Not more than 20 minutes ago, his dino com on the coffee table had gone off and he had redoubled his efforts to get loose ever since. Hot tears of frustration pricked at the corners of his eyes as he realized how futile his efforts were and how little progress he had made up to now.

He was scared, scared for what trouble Randall would cause and scared of what was happening with this monster attack going on now. He didn't want to see his fellow Ranger friends get hurt and he didn't want to be replaced either. Randall's words continued to echo in his ears and remind him how right his twin was. He could be doing so much better with his life right now. If only he had been tougher, smarter, and stronger than he was now, he wouldn't be in this predicament. With each passing moment, that opportunity was slipping away.

As he laid his head down to rest for a moment, his eyes shot open as he heard the front door of his apartment open. He could hear the footsteps of someone entering slowly from the doorway and heading toward the living room. "Somebody help! It's me, Chase!" he croaked tiredly.

To his relief, he saw Kendall hurry into the living room and turn to see him struggling on the floor. "Chase, is that really you? Oh my God, are you ok?"

Chase gave a weak but relieved nod, "Kendall! You're a sight for sore eyes!"

As she hurried over and grabbed a utility knife from his counter top, he knelt down and began working to free him from the chair. "What is going on? What happened to you?"

"That bastard Randall knocked me out and is trying to pull a switch," Chase explained. "I heard the com go off but I've been stuck here all morning."

As Kendall cut the ropes tying his feet, she began to go to work on the ones binding his hands. "I don't understand though. What are you doing here?" Chase asked.

"You can thank Koda," Kendall replied quickly as she continued struggling to cut the cords. "He asked me to go and check up on your apartment. He suspected something was wrong when you... or rather, Randall, walked in this morning posing as you. He didn't know what the significance of Friday was and according to Koda, literally didn't smell right. Randall seemed to have forgotten to put on your aftershave."

"Brilliant!" Chase laughed grimly to himself as the last of his bonds were cut, "When we get back, there's going to be a large pizza with Koda's name on it."

Kendall shot him a confused look but Chase waved it off and rose quickly, "Never mind. I've got to get to the battle and help the others."

"I sent them to the beach front," Kendall said hesitantly, "Randall is with them now, but no one else knows except for Koda. I... are you sure..."

"That I'm really me?" Chase asked finishing her question. With a small smile, he reached out slowly and put his hand over hers, giving a gentle reassuring squeeze. It was the exact same gesture he had done a few nights before after their awkward talk in the command center. Kendall gave a happy look of relief, "Be careful out there Chase."

Chase grabbed his gear and headed for the door giving her a confident nod, "Because of you and Koda, I've just been given one more shot to make things right. I'm not about to miss now."

* * *

 **To Be Concluded...**


	5. Black is Back!

"All right!" Tyler cheered as Sledge's monster exploded in a great cloud of sparks and fire, "Nice work everyone!"

While the other Rangers took a moment to relax on the beach and congratulate each other, Randall stood off to the side lost in thought. The battle had gone well enough and they made short work of the enemy, but in his opinion, it was still a little sloppy. Although he had held back for now, Randall figured he'd be able to upstage Tyler at some point in the future... maybe even become the new team leader.

As Randall turned around, he glanced over and caught sight of Koda quietly watching him. He found the Blue Ranger's gaze to be troubling. Even if he couldn't see behind the visor, Randall decided to do something about it later on. His next thought was interrupted as a stray blaster shot rang out and struck the ground right in front of him.

Randall and the other Rangers turned in shock to Chase slowly approach from the sand dunes with his dino revolver leveled. "I told you that you wouldn't get away with this Randall!" Chase called advancing with a smirk, "It looks like a good friend of mine smelled a rat after all."

Randall growled and glanced over to the Blue Ranger, "Koda. It must have been you."

"What the heck is going on here?" Shelby shouted in confusion to the young man in the white shirt. "Who is who now?"

"I'll explain later everyone," Chase said closing the distance and keeping his gun fixed only on Randall. "First let me deal with this wolf in sheep's clothing."

At that moment, the combatants were distracted as Sledge's monster revived and grew into a colossal sized threat.

Tyler growled and looked around to size up the situation. "Shelby, Riley, you're with me. We'll call the Megazord. Koda?"

The Blue Ranger nodded, "I sort things out here."

No sooner had Tyler summoned their Megazord, Chase charged his revolver and rushed forward morphing into the true Black Ranger. Randall gasped in shock as Chase threw himself at his twin and the two tumbled on the sand in a furious close quarter scuffle. Koda stood in surprised confusion as the two Black Rangers countered each others strikes and broke apart, calling their Dino Steel Armor at the same time.

"I underestimated you," Randall laughed sadistically as he hammered down repeatedly on Chase's guard with his Para Chopper, "I guess you're not a complete screw up after all."

"That's not the only reason you're going to lose," Chase answered deflecting Randall's strikes and locking their weapons in a cross block. "Unlike you, I've actually got friends to back me up when I need it."

Randall roared and forced Chase backward against a large rock jutting out from the sand. Their weapons were still locked together while Randall continued to push hard against his twin. "It doesn't matter. At this range, you'll never beat me in hand to hand combat."

"Who said I was going to fight like that?" Chase retorted using his free hand to draw his revolver. He shoved it under Randall's guard and into his twin's midsection. Randall howled as Chase pulled the trigger at point blank range. The force of the close blast threw both Rangers apart and scattered their weapons in different directions.

Koda continued to watch as both Black Rangers struggled to get up from the sand before he leveled his own revolver at them. "Hold it! No one move!"

The Black Rangers froze while the Dino Charge Megazord and Sledge's giant monster continued to do battle higher up on the bluffs of the beach.

"Koda! Don't shoot! It's me!" Chase called slowly rising to his knee.

"Don't listen to him mate, I'm the real Chase!" Randall called while eyeing his fallen Para Chopper nearby.

Koda trained his gun on both Rangers and continued to hesitate. He had lost track of who was who in the melee and in their morphed forms, he couldn't tell them apart by their smell either. He had to figure out some way to tell the difference with something only the real Chase would know. That's when it struck him.

Taking a deep breath, Koda said, "One of you give me present this week. What was gift and why?"

Randall panicked a moment and raised his hands slowly, "Hold on now. You're my best mate. It was your birthday right? I'd never forget that."

"Wrong!" Chase called out before turning to Koda with a grin, "I gave you a black shirt. It was because we're friends... and because the good guys wear black!"

Koda gave a bright smile to his friend and nodded but Randall turned to make a diving grab for his own weapon. Rolling off the ground, Randall opened fire with a barrage of blaster shots while Chase nimbly twirled and somersaulted through the volley.

"Koda!" Chase called as the caveman tossed his friend his own revolver. Chase caught the pistol in mid somersault and spun around on his feet, loading the gun with a charge battery. He swiftly twirled the pistol and leveled it at Randall with a grin.

"You're good mate, but there's only room for one Hotshot in Amber Beach!"

Randall's eyes went wide as Chase fired a powerful finishing shot from Koda's pistol. The surging shot struck Randall head on and the impostor Black Ranger was engulfed in a great explosion. As the fire subsided, Randall was thrown roughly to the sand, demorphing as he lay unconscious.

As he did, Chase and Koda could see the Dino Charge Megazord standing triumphantly on the horizon from its own battle. Chase smiled and gave the Megazord a thumbs up as Koda rushed over give his friend a crushing caveman hug.

"I almost worried that I made wrong choice." Koda said in happy relief.

Once the Black Ranger caught his breath, he smiled and returned the hug, patting the caveman on the back. "Don't worry, it's really me big guy. You did great and you saved my life... so thank you."

As Koda let go, Chase looked over the scorched beach toward the limp form of his twin with a sigh, "Now, what do you say we go clean up one more mess, huh?"

* * *

Early the next day, the Rangers assembled in the park where their newest misadventure had all started. Tyler, Shelby, and Riley all stood with their dino revolvers ready while Chase and Koda escorted a tied up Randall. Nearby, Kendall was busy making a few last minute adjustments to a fully restored Super Charger.

As she stepped aside, Chase gave Randall a little shove over toward the machine and had him sit down cross legged in front of it. "Well, I wish I could say that it's been fun... but it hasn't. So good riddance."

Randall gave a calm sardonic laugh looking at the cords tying his hands. "Well, for what it was worth, I had a good time. And after what I've seen, there might just be hope for you yet."

As an afterthought, Chase leaned down and pulled out a small pocketknife. He placed it in the front pocket of Randall's white shirt, then gestured toward the cords, "You might come from a crap hole world, but at least I'll give you a fair chance."

"In a world full of strife, we must fight to survive, right?" Randall snorted, "Real sporting of you."

As they stepped aside, Koda said, "You still have potential to be hero. Maybe you remember that and make your world a little better place."

Randall curled his lip but gave a small laugh, "Yeah... maybe."

Taking one last glance over toward Kendall, he grinned and tilted his head over toward his twin, "And you! Take care of this guy for me, huh?"

Kendall frowned as Chase loaded Randall's Energem in the Super Charger. With that, she pressed a button on her tablet to activate the machine.

The Rangers stood clear as the machine whirred and energized, before releasing a bright flash of white light. When the light faded, everyone looked over to the Super Charger and found that both Randall and his Energem were gone.

"So... is it finally over?" Tyler asked hesitantly turning to Kendall.

She examined the data on her tablet and gave a shrug. "It would seem so. I only wonder if he made it back."

"I'm actually more curious what else we can do with the Super Charger now," Riley mused with a curious look, "I mean... imagine what we could do if we were able to weaponize it and use it against Sledge somehow."

At that moment, everyone jumped as a blaster shot rang out and struck the Super Charger, blowing it into several scorched pieces. The Rangers turned in shock to see Chase holding his dino revolver and blowing a trail of smoke from the barrel.

"It's a good idea," Chase replied coolly as he holstered his pistol and walked away toward the museum, "but I think it's best we not find out."

Kendall and Riley continued to stare in shock while Koda smiled and began leading the others, following the relieved Black Ranger back toward the museum.

* * *

Later that evening after dinner, Chase returned to the command center and waited by himself in the main laboratory. While he waited, he examined his appearance in a nearby mirror and straightened the collar of the dark blue dress shirt he was wearing. As he did, he turned in surprise as he saw Kendall enter the lab from one of the side entrances. She was carrying her laptop and looked like she was going to do some work. She stopped and gave him a surprised look, "Oh, Chase. I didn't expect to see you here tonight."

"Oh... well, I was actually waiting around for Koda to finish getting dressed," Chase answered, "Since our usual Friday routine was kinda interrupted, I decided I'd take him out for a night on the town and do something a little different."

"I can see," Kendall remarked noticing his dressy slacks and collared shirt. "Any particular plans?"

Chase laughed, "Well, I thought it might be a good idea for us to go and check out a new club that opened up across town. Maybe we'd do some dancing and if we're lucky, meet some cute girls too."

Kendall gave a surprised look and a neutral nod while she quickly put down her laptop, "Oh? Well... I think that's a very good idea. I hope you two have fun then."

Chase stopped and looked at her a moment before giving a small amused laugh, "Hey, what's wrong? I promise I'll get Koda home at a reasonable hour."

"No, it's not that," Kendall replied quickly waving it off and frowning to herself. "I... uh... I just think that it's a little weird seeing you wearing a blue shirt after all the craziness this week."

Chase gave her a curious look for a moment before shrugging, "Well, maybe. But Koda and I can't go out wearing the same shirt. That would be kinda weird don't you think? Or would you rather I wear a white shirt tonight?"

Kendall frowned at the teasing remark before slowly softening her expression. To Chase's surprise, she stepped forward and rested her head against his chest while clutching his sides in a small hug.

"Please don't joke about that," she said softly, "Honestly, I always thought you looked better wearing black anyway."

Giving a warm smile, he put his arms around his friend and hugged her back gently, "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

After a few moments passed, Kendall lifted her head and said absently, "You know, Koda was right. You do smell like sandalwood."

"Umm, sorry?" Chase replied as he looked down at her, unsure of where she was going with the comment.

"No. It's a nice smell. I think I like it," she said looking back up at him with the ghost of a smile.

At that moment, Koda emerged from his cave and spotted his two friends still embracing each other while sharing a lingering smile.

As Koda slowly approached, Chase let go and the two jumped apart quickly. "Oh! Koda! There you are mate," Chase called out with a nervous smile, "That black shirt looks brilliant on you by the way."

Koda continued to walk toward them with a calm even gait as Chase raised his hands quickly, "Ok, listen Koda. This isn't what it looks like."

"Chase is right," Kendall added quickly, beginning to sound a little nervous herself, "Umm... there's a simple explanation for this."

The caveman marched right up to his two friends and fixed Chase with a serious expression, "Why you and Kendall not tell me?"

"Uh... tell you what?" Chase feebly asked, suddenly fearing for his life.

To his utter shock, Koda broke into a wide grin and quickly put his big arms around both of them, "Why you not tell me about group hug? They always better with more friends."

Chase and Kendall exchanged a relieved smile as they returned Koda's hug. Try as he might to deny it, Chase was hard pressed to argue with the logic of the caveman. Deciding to take Randall's words to heart, the Black Ranger guessed it was best to seize this new opportunity and just continue enjoying the moment with his two closest friends.

* * *

 **A/N:  
Frankly, I'm a little stunned by the positive reception to this story. A huge thank you goes to all those who have read and reviewed! You guys are all awesome and I had a blast writing this too! Until the next one!  
**


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